Discover all that the Library has accomplished in its first five years.
Explore the TimelineOpening Ceremony of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
Inaugural class of Research Fellows and Life Guard Teacher Fellows
Launched the Ford Evening Book Talk, a free, monthly public program that spotlights authors and their new books
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia hits one million users (launched October 2012)
Welcomed nearly 80 teachers to the George Washington Teacher Institute Residential Program now operating out of the Library (launched 1999)
Hired the first Mount Vernon based editor of The Papers of George Washington
Launched the Founding Debates, an event where authors, public figures, and historians discuss interpretations of a question of national import.
The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association Archive centralized at the Library
Library staff responded to 1,130 research inquiries
4,400 hours of research conducted at the Library by fellows
Hosted 68 scholarly lectures
812 teachers participated in 398.5 hours of face-to-face programming with the education staff at the Library and with partners around the country
Launched the Digital Collections from the Washington Library
Acquired the Potomack Navigation Company Archive
Partnered with the University of Virginia Press on a new publication, The General in the Garden, the first released under the Library’s imprimatur
The first class of Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows arrived at Mount Vernon
Hosted 62 lectures and symposiums for scholars, students, and supporters
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia hit five million users
Conversations at the Washington Library podcast launched
George Washington Teacher Institute Residential Program went national
Lives Bound Together exhibition opened and the Library published a companion book and hosted a symposium on slavery
Established the Library’s first international partnership with King’s College in London in support of the Georgian Papers Porgramme
Acquired the George and Martha Ephemera Collection
Acquired 1,100 new monographs
1,589 students participated in off-site student programs
Welcomed 5,874 guests at 34 public and academic programs
Provided 336 Library tours to 4,314 guests
Assisted 4,498 researchers
Welcomed 6,471 guests to Library public events
Acquired 16 printings of Washington’s letters to religious congregations
2,666,850 visitors to the George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
158 teachers attended the eight George Washington Teacher Institute Residential Program sessions
Educators downloaded 16,391 lesson plans and primary sources
715 students participated in the Library’s distance learning programs
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia hit ten million users
George Washington Friends and Enemies project launches
Dr. Kevin Butterfield began serving as the executive director of The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
MVLA hired its first certified Archivist to curate archival collections
Led almost 5,000 tours of the Library for 19,200 people
Acquired 25 George Washington letters
Acquired six books found in George Washington’s personal library
Over 10,000 digital assets found in the "Digital Collections from the Washington Library"
Assisted 12,500 researchers from all 50 states and over 20 countries
The Library’s collection has over 28,500 records, approximately 1,100 linear feet of files, and more than 20 finding aids
10,400,000 lifetime users of the George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
67 episodes of Conversations at the Washington Library with 60,000 listeners